So you want to have a plant-based Thanksgiving, and might be like… How sway? Many of my clients have been asking me what to do over the holidays, and I know it’s a real concern for many, so here’s a few ideas to get you jump started if you want to eat a veggie Thanksgiving.
First, get you a dish or two that has some real substance and is filling to replace turkey. Some people get down with tofurky, a tofu based turkey substitute. If you are like me and don’t jive well with soy, here’s a few main dish ideas you can try:
Lentil loaf (replaces a meatloaf), vegetable shepherd’s pie (@minimalistbaker has a great 1 hour recipe), stuffed vegetables – my favorites are stuffed acorn squash (@veganhuggs has a dope recipe), stuffed butternut squash, and stuffed bell peppers. You can stuff with a flavorful quinoa mix for an extra protein boost or couscous.
Once you have 1-2 main dishes, make as many side dishes as your heart desires. To name a few ideas: sweet potatoes however your mama made them, string beans with caramelized shallots, rosemary and garlic (recipe on my blog), roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic reduction, cauliflower mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, and an epic kale side salad. You can still get you some cranberry sauce if that’s how you roll, and can also add unique flavorful side dips like butternut squash hummus or roasted red beet hummus (also check out @minimalistbaker for this recipe)
Add to all this a few desserts made using whole food ingredients — my go-to’s are pecan, sweet potato, and blueberry pies — and you won’t even remember the turkey is not on the table. -XO